When it comes to designing your ideal art deco house, it is important to ensure that your home is constructed from a strong foundation. Building on a strong foundation ensures that your house is able to withstand the forces of nature and the shifting environment so that you have a safe and secure dwelling. To build a stronger home, start by installing a concrete pad for the foundation. This will create a durable, resilient base for your home that won't crack over time and can protect against water damage. Additionally, you should also consider using new, higher-grade building materials that are designed to last. Build a Smaller Home on a Strong Foundation
Build a Smaller Home on a Strong Foundation
When constructing your art deco house, reinforcing your roof and wall framing is essential for keeping out storms and other natural disasters. Using quality building materials like steel, wood, or composite materials is an important step in making sure your home is built to last. Additionally, you should also make sure to hire a reliable and experienced contractor to install any framing reinforcements, to guarantee the job is done correctly. With proper roof and wall reinforcement, your home can stand up to extreme weather conditions and keep you and your family safe. Reinforce Roof and Wall Framing
Reinforce Roof and Wall Framing
To truly make your art deco house safe from Mother Nature, installing impact-resistant windows and doors is essential. Upgrading to double-paned windows and doors that come with hurricane-resistant ratings can help your home stand up to intense winds and debris. You should also consider installing storm shutters and installing door and window sensors to alert you if an intruder is attempting to break-in. Once your home has the right windows and doors installed, you can be sure that no matter the elements, your home will stay safe and secure. Install Impact Resistant Windows and Doors
Install Impact Resistant Windows and Doors
When designing your ideal art deco house, you should also consider installing a tornadoproof roof. This roof style is designed to direct strong wind around the building, therefore protecting the structure from vortex formation. While this style of roof is generally more costly than traditional roofs, the long-term benefit makes the investment well worth it. For even more protection, you can also install storm-proof guttering and rainwater collection systems to collect and redirect runoff in case of heavy rainfall. Consider Tornadoproof Roof Design
Consider Tornadoproof Roof Design
To properly secure your art deco house to its foundation, you must make sure that the building is connected to its foundation with special screws known as anchor bolts. These bolts are commonly thick and wide enough to be able to secure your home safely to the foundation, preventing any movement or damage due to weather-related events. Additionally, it is important to make sure that the anchor bolts are located in corners of each wall of the house, ensuring that the building is secure from all angles. Secure the Building to its Foundation
Secure the Building to its Foundation
For even more reinforcement, consider reinforcing your walls with steel strapping. This is a widely used technique in homes in hurricane-prone areas and can significantly increase the strength of your house during storms. Steel strapping helps to secure individual walls together, making them resistant to shifting, and coupled with anchor bolts, can create the ultimate reinforced structure. Steel strapping can also be used to reinforce the roof of your art deco house, providing complete protection against Mother Nature's elements. Reinforce Walls with Steel Strapping
Reinforce Walls with Steel Strapping
Using steel strapping to reinforce your roof is another excellent way to protect you and your family and make sure your art deco house is up to code. Roof strapping is used to attach the roof to the walls of the house, making sure that the roof stays in place during extreme winds and isn't damaged. Furthermore, roof strapping can also provide a measure of defense against falling debris, so you and your family can stay safe and secure inside your home. Use Strapping to Reinforce the Roof
Use Strapping to Reinforce the Roof
Adding an emergency safe room to your art deco house can provide extra protection from storms and other natural disasters. Constructing this safe room should be done by an experienced contractor, as there are very specific points that need to be considered. Firstly, the safe room must be made with reinforced steel doors and windows, and be installed on the lowest ground level of the house. Additionally, the room must also be able to accommodate all the occupants of the house and be equipped with several emergency supplies. Create an Emergency Safe Room
Create an Emergency Safe Room
When building your art deco house, you should also make sure that it is built to the windborne debris standard. This standard is a set of guidelines and regulations that must be followed by builders to ensure that a building is structurally sound and able to withstand strong winds. In order to meet the standard, a home must be equipped with windows and doors that can withstand winds of up to 150 mph and have the correct roof connections. Following these standards will make sure that your house is safe and secure in the event of strong winds. Build to the Windborne Debris Standard
Build to the Windborne Debris Standard
Lastly, in order to ensure the safety of your art deco house, you must find a qualified architect or builder to take charge of the building process. The architect or builder should have the right experience and credentials and be able to provide you with a blueprint that satisfies all the local building codes and regulations. It is also important to make sure that they understand how to build an art deco style home, otherwise, the results won't be up to standard and the security of your home could be compromised. Find a Qualified Architect or Builder
Find a Qualified Architect or Builder
Safe House Design for Better Tornado Protection
The ability to withstand tornadoes and other extreme weather events is an essential component of modern house design. As a designer, one of your primary objectives when developing a house is to ensure that it can withstand the impacts of high winds, heavy rain, and severe storms. With that in mind, here are some key factors to consider when designing a
tornado-safe house
.
Sturdy Foundation
The foundation is the main component of a house and it needs to be constructed with materials that are capable of withstanding a tornado. Using reinforced
concrete
is essential, as this material is both strong and durable. Additionally, the foundation should be designed to be both wide and deep, with its base set below the frost line and a minimum thickness of 8 inches.
Reinforced Roof
The roof is one of the most important components of a tornado-safe house, as it must be able to withstand the impacts of tornado-force winds. As a result, its structure must be reinforced with extra beams and strong materials such as steel or concrete and fortified with anchoring straps, hurricane clips, and galvanized roofing nails.
Protective Siding
The siding of the house needs to be designed to be as strong as possible in order to resist the impact of extreme winds. For this reason, many builders opt for impact-resistant materials such as fiber cement, as well as thick vinyl. Additionally, it is important to keep all openings, such as windows and doors, as small and as low to the ground as possible to reduce the chances of debris entering the property.
Wind-Resistant Landscaping
The landscaping that surrounds the house also needs to be designed to reduce the risk of wind damage. Planting shrubs, trees, and other forms of vegetation in strategic locations around the property can help to act as a “wind break” for the house, reducing the intensity of tornado-force gusts that contact it. Additionally, loose items such as swings, grills, and garden furniture need to be secured to the ground and other structures.
Designing a tornado-safe house is essential if you are looking to protect your family and property from the potential dangers associated with extreme weather events. By taking the proper steps and adhering to these tips, you will be well on your way to ensuring that your house is as secure as possible.
